Homework: Painting 101

Here are some tips to ensure your paint job goes smoothly:

1. Make sure you match the brush to the paint

Polyester brushes are typically used with latex or water-based paints. Angled brushes are a must for painting woodwork trim and cutting in paint where one color is up against another.

2. Roller covers come in different thicknesses of nap

Ones that have a 3/8-inch nap are good for painting walls and ceilings with a flat finish paint. If you're painting coarse masonry surfaces, you'll want a 1/2-inch or thicker nap. If you're painting a smooth surface with a high-gloss or semi-gloss paint, you may want a short-nap roller cover that has 1/8-inch or 1/4-inch nap. Smaller nap produces less texture in the dried paint.

3. Not all paint is created equal

You get what you pay for. Remember that paint is, for the most part, glue with color in it. There are special paints for different situations. For example, if you want to know how to paint drywall, especially new drywall, you'll quickly discover you need to use special primers that prime and seal in one step. Some newer finish paints make the claim of not needing these primers, as they include the heavy pigments and porosity sealers in the finish paint product. A considerable amount of the volume of many water-based paints evaporates from the surface you paint, leaving behind a very thin film of pigment and the chemical glue. If you spread the paint too thin as you work it, when the paint dries there simply is not enough pigment and adhesive to cover what was on the wall before you started. Most paint cans have printed on the label the recommended coverage rate. For many years, a gallon of latex or water-based paint would cover 300 to 400 square feet of surface area. When you do the math, you'll discover that one gallon of paint should cover only the walls in a small 10-by-12-foot room that has 8-foot ceilings.

4. Read the label on the paint can before you start

If you want the best results, follow the instructions. When they say to apply to a clean, dry, dust-free surface, they mean it. Remember, paint is glue, and for it to stick well, the surface needs to be clean.

5. When painting ceilings, save time with extension poles

Using adjustable fiberglass extension poles, you can paint ceilings without making numerous trips up and down a ladder. The same is true for walls.

And don't forget, cleanup is key

Cleanup after the paint job is done is an art all itself. You can ruin a high-quality paintbrush in no time if you clean it incorrectly. Here are some tips:

* Never hold the brush up-side-down in a stream of water. This drives paint higher up into the bristles and fans them out. It's better to dip the brush in a can of soapy warm water and shake it back and forth in the frothy mix. Do this with the rinse water, as well, until the water remains clear as you shake the brush.

* If your house has a septic tank, do not clean your brushes indoors. You don't want latex paint residue entering the septic tank or leach field. Clean your painting equipment in a large bucket indoors if necessary and dispose of the cleaning water safely outdoors in a sand pile or other media that will capture the paint and not pollute the soil or groundwater.